The sourest of sourdoughs

Some of you may remember (especially if your name is Steve) that Steve started a sourdough culture a couple years ago, which I was lucky enough to receive a bit of. Well, that sourdough starter gifted me with many fine sourdough pancakes, some pizza dough, and a rather lackluster loaf of bread before eventually going on to die and become the most horrible smelling thing in my entire house (honestly, I almost vomited when I eventually got rid of it). So the lesson is if you don't feed your sourdough starter, but instead leave it on the kitchen counter when you go away for a week, it will figure out how to get even with you.

Earlier this fall I followed Steve's technique for starting a sourdough culture and used some apple peels, flour, and water to get one going. After about a month of feeding it and making sure it's happy (I sing it to sleep every night before tucking it into the fridge), I thought it was ready to go into a loaf of bread.

I've been intrigued by the no-knead sourdough recipes that are popping up everywhere, and I ended up using this one (mostly because it's simple and he has a very informative video on the process of making this bread).

After one failed attempt (which I did not photograph for obvious reasons), here are a couple photos of my first successful loaf of sourdough bread made from a sourdough starter. It may be a little hard to tell from the pictures, but I'm pleased to report that the crust is nice and tough, and the bread itself is very chewy and airy. It's got a bit of a sourdough tang, though it's not too sour (you can fault me for the misleading post title). All around, a pretty enjoyable loaf of bread.

I've read that refrigerating the bread overnight (after letting it rise for 5 to 8 hours) also results in a pretty good bread. So I'll give that a shot next time.

The Pumpkin and the Pie

Said the pumpkin to the pie,
"I'm a pumpkin for a pie,
Not the kind to carve a face,
But the kind that you can taste!"

Then the pie said to the pumpkin,
"Why, indeed, I'm not a bumpkin!
For I'm filled with one like you,
And am yummy through and through!"

And the two became good friends,
For they realized in the end,
That to team up with each other,
Made a treat to beat all others!

Pumpkin puree, courtesy of Daniel,
and the pie was made by Janell. : )

Summer Harvest

Earlier this summer we started pulling a few root vegetables and a portion of the abundant cucumber crop. We're sharing a little of the harvest joy with you.

New potatoes for oven stew or colcannon, beets for apple and beet salad (with walnuts and banana), and carrots for munching.

Beet greens (the kids were not big fans), and the ubiquitous cucumber.

Cucumbers put to good use.

The girls had a great time rolling summer squash in flour. Now where are those squash, girls?

There they are.

Fry them up. Yum!

Earlier this year we found out that radishes can be grill-roasted. Toss them with a little oil, sea salt, pepper, and minced garlic to make a tasty treat. I'd post a picture but I couldn't get the camera out before they were devoured by the kids. They ate 'em like french fries.

We're working on the fall harvest. In the meantime, go pick the nearest fruit or vegetable and post its mug here.

A New Foodie is Born

Considering the method by which this baby was announced, it is fitting to welcome the birth of little Andrew with a food post. And so, we give you his first meal. He promptly turned up his nose at it, demanding only pre-warmed organic milk! That's ok - Rachel was hungry too, so she enjoyed a chicken caesar wrap, mashed potatoes, and a brownie.

Simplest Corn Pudding

There's been a dearth of posts on these blogs as of late, though I have heard legends about a heaping mound of sausages and gallons of Kool-Aid that were consumed at the McCann clan in a matter of seconds. Would that we could have seen some photos of that carnage...

Well, it's hot and it's not the time of year where I usually try out new recipes. But I just stumbled across a recipe for "Simplest Corn Pudding," and I think I may be a sucker for anything with "simplest" in the title. True to its name, this one is incredibly easy to make, absolutely delicious, and a great way to get through a huge pile of fresh sweet corn (if you find yourself facing such a problem).

I found the recipe on nytimes.com, and you can find the full write-up here. But if you want just the recipe, here it is:

Ingredients

• 8 ears of corn, husked
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper
• Half a lime.

Method

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2. Place a box grater on a medium cast-iron pan, and finely grate each ear of corn directly into the pan. Discard the cobs.
• 3. Spread the milky corn evenly across the pan, and bake until the edges and top are golden brown and the corn milk has thickened, 20 to 30 minutes.
• 4. Remove from heat, and transfer corn and any liquid to a bowl. Add butter, and season to taste with salt, cayenne pepper, and a squeeze of lime juice. Mix well.

And here are some delicious photos.

Happy Patriotic Food Day

What could be more patriotic than a stack of buttermilk pancakes topped with maple syrup and fresh berries on the 4th of July? Maybe raspberries and blueberries would have been a little more patriotic, but the blackberries look sort of blue. And I was going to top it with a burst of whipped cream but due to some young connoisseurs in our house we ran out this morning. A dash of powdered sugar would do, but... after all this monkeying around taking pictures, I just had to eat it!

I hope you're all enjoying the day off - taking every opportunity not only to celebrate our country and the many ways we are blessed, but especially God's faithfulness to us and His sovereignty even with nations and powers.

Beef Stew for You

When we were in Muskegon to visit over Christmas, Mom made an excellent beef stew. Since then we've added this to our menu and have enjoyed it each time. We had a little trouble adapting the tapioca levels since we were using flour instead of pearls (let's just say we didn't need spoons the first time). We also decided to serve it in bread bowls, which was a hit.

So thanks, Mom, for the meal and the inspiration.